Agnes Media was established during the pandemic by Charlotte Ward, who branched out to start the agency after months of freelancing.
Since then, the business has grown and attracted exponentially, landing a diverse range of clients and projects.
Ward spoke to Mediaweek about launching Agnes Media in the middle of the pandemic, incorporating analytics into their work and the agency’s outlook on expansion.
Ward on launching Agnes Media
Before launching Agnes Media in July 2020, Ward worked in different agency roles in Sydney and Dubai, mainly developing strategy, media planning and buying, and overseeing her team’s output.
Ward has also worked with Qantas, L’Oreal, and Volkswagen, in addition to a range of B2C and B2B companies.
After going freelance for a number of months, Ward shared that she identified an opportunity to build her own business as she was attracting her clients.
“I had contractors supporting me whilst I was freelancing, and I’d always wanted to start a business of my own. So, I decided to launch Agnes, and we’ve grown from then.”
“I’ve had quite a lot of global experience. At Agnes, we do work with clients outside of Australia as well. So, my team and I leverage that global experience,” she added.
As founder and director of the independent media agency, Ward oversees the business operations and work she and her team do with their clients.
“I focus on business development, staff development, working with the clients and getting the best strategy and output for them.
Ward noted that she has a dedicated team of eight people and a range of contractors they work with for different projects.
“We’re very agile, and we can lean on them whenever we need for relevant projects and client needs,” she added.
Establishing Agnes Media during the pandemic
The pandemic was a tough time for the industry. Some businesses were forced to cut back and close doors, while agencies had to let staff go.
But for Ward, she noted, “I feel like the pandemic, in a really bizarre way, accelerated our business growth.”
“We saw that launching during the pandemic, with our business model, actually accelerated growth because businesses have been looking to get greater ROI from their marketing investment and have greater transparency,” Ward added.
The importance of analytics at Agnes Media
Ward noted that the agency specialises in incorporating analytics into its work. She said, “What we do is work with clients and identify their core business objectives, and we tie that back to how we can apply that through a media and analytics lens.
“For example, if a client wants to grow, we identify if lifetime value or ROAS the core metric or revenue growth month-on-month. Then we work it back and use various benchmarks and analyse all of their data to determine the best media mix, and we can help them grow.
Ward added the agency also provides automated dashboard reporting, which they use to look at clients’ accounts to identify how they can optimise and get better results.
“We are constantly looking at the data to determine how we can optimise and generate a more profitable outcome by looking at the right metrics,” she said.
“All of the analytics that we are exposed to, from the client’s data to our data, all brought into one dashboard for that unified view,” she added.
Foundation clients and recent wins
Agnes Media has developed a strong relationship with its clients, including a FinTech company that has been with them since launch and whom they still work with on a range of projects.
The agency also works with Yalumba wine, Oxford Landing. “We manage their advertising in other markets, and we’ve been working with them since we launched.
“So proud to work with both of these clients, Oxford Landing and this large FinTech that we’ve had since launch,” she added.
Ward noted that they recently began work with Bondi Active, an activewear and lifestyle brand. She said: “We’re excited to start working with and managing their e-commerce strategy and more customers for them.”
Ward’s outlook for 2023 and being part of the IMAA
Looking ahead to the year, Ward noted that Agnes Media is focused on expanding into the Asian market.
“We see a huge opportunity in Southeast Asia where there are huge populations,” she said.
Ward explained: “Tech is accelerating at a fast speed, and there’s just a huge market, especially now that the pandemic has ended, and tourism is seeing significant growth. ”
Agnes Media joined the IMAA in May this year, and Ward noted that the agency had benefitted from the offerings made by the association.
Among them have been its training and development opportunities, access to industry sources usually available to tier-one agencies, being part of a network of independent agencies, and the greater representation the industry body provides as a collective.
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Top image: Charlotte Ward
